After the meeting, Petralia once again stressed that the government
does not share or adopt the views of Athens Chamber of Commerce and
Industry (EBEA) president Constantine Michalos of reducing the
work-week to 3-4 days.

Michalos, on Wednesday, floated the idea of reducing the work-week
to 3-4 days, with a corresponding salary cut, in order to avert job
layoffs, as a temporary measure and applicable only in specific
sectors, due to the global financial crisis.

"Mr. Michalos' positions to not refelect the government's views,"
Petralia said in reply to press questions, stressing that the
government's policy in that area was drafted by the employment
ministry.

Petralia said that, in this period of crisis, the government's aim
was to shield the working and employment positions, and the
government's policy and measures would be moving in that direction.

Equity prices were rising at the opening of trade on Thursday on the
Athens Stock Exchange (ASE), influenced by positive climates on the
international money markets, with the basic share price index up
1.96 percent, standing at 1,870.22 points at 10:45 a.m., and
turnover at 14.2 million euros.

Individual sector indices were moving upward across the board, with
the biggest gains in Travel & Recreation, up 3.87 percent; Financial
Services, up 3248 percent; Public Utilities, up 2.44 percent; and
Insurance, up 2.40 percent.

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavily traded stocks was up
2.23 percent, the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index was up 1.56 percent, and the
FTSE/ASE-80 small cap index was up 0.65 percent.

The head-on collision between the goverment and main opposition
PASOK over testimonies to parliament's fact finding commission on
the Vatopedi monastery affair dominated the headlines on Thursday in
Athens' newspapers.